NBA GMs expect Lakers’ Lonzo Ball to win Rookie of the Year

Lakers top draft pick Lonzo Ball fields questions during the Lakers media day event at their new training facility in El Segundo on Sept. 25. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A majority of NBA general managers believe Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball will win Rookie of the Year, according to an annual NBA.com survey of GMs that was released on Wednesday.

Ball, drafted second overall out of UCLA, received 62 percent of the preseason votes, while Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons – the top pick in 2016 who sat all of last season with injury – received 24 percent.

However, the long-term confidence is less overwhelming. Asked which rookie would be the best player in five years, only 14 percent voted for Ball, placing him behind Phoenix’s Josh Jackson (24 percent), Philadelphia’s Markelle Fultz (21 percent) and Boston’s Jayson Tatum (21 percent).